ICE! Online
by Sakura Hyuga
Summary: In the virtual reality game ICE Online, Katsuki Yuuri is a demonic-looking angel Cleric who is actually quite bad-ass . . . at least according to his Warrior friend Phichit. Yuuri just wants to level up quickly without running into random Mob Bosses, though he certainly wouldn't mind it if he ran into his idol, top player Viktor Nikiforov.
1. Chapter 1

**ICE Online**

* * *

 **Summary:** In the virtual reality game ICE Online, Katsuki Yuuri is a demonic-looking angel Cleric who is actually quite bad-ass . . . at least according to his Warrior friend Phichit. Yuuri just wants to level up quickly without running into random Mob Bosses, though he certainly wouldn't mind it if he ran into his idol, top player Viktor Nikiforov. That is, he thought he wouldn't. Yuuri wasn't too sure now, especially when the man had . . . all but glued himself to his side?!

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Nope, I don't own this awesome anime. Not even in my dreams do I have that privilege . . .

* * *

 **CHAPTER I:** the demonic scythe-wielding angel cleric

* * *

It was barely morning. Sure, the sun had been shining through his windows for a while now, but Yuuri was still in that state of mind where he was chasing dreams and not that very awake. He was seeing moonlight silver in hair form and a pretty cerulean sea that was ice cold. He was dreaming of shining white armor in which dark blood could never tarnish. He was imagining―

.

.

.

"Yuuri, why the heck are you still in bed? Come on, wake up now sleepyhead!"

Someone evil snatched away his heavenly warm blankets as a ruthless cold finger poked his cheeks. Groaning in displeasure, Yuuri turned over to escape the torture and continue sleeping. After all, it was finally the first day of his break and he didn't want to wake up just yet!

"Come on, my precious, idiot brother," the bemused voice of the cheek-poker continued as they ignored his pitiful whimpers. "I stood outside for five hours in line just to get us both a copy of . . ."

Yuuri mumbled incoherently and snuggled even more determinedly into his pillow. It was probably just one of his sister's stupid Korean dramas―

". . . of ICE! Online!"

Suddenly, Yuuri didn't feel as sleepy as he did before. Scrambling to get untangled from his blankets and falling out of his bed, the boy stared at his older sister and the bag in her hands in total disbelief.

" _What_?"

* * *

"Reality is broken. Game designers can fix it."  
― Jane McGonigal

* * *

It was the late 20XXs, and technology had advanced far beyond what humanity had first predicted. Once-cool holographic images were commonplace now in every large city, and with the invention of sleep-based game machines the explosion of virtual reality games was unsurprising. But it was only after the sudden fame of a new company did online gaming become ever so more popular.

Thus, ICE! Online, the final product from that new company, was currently the hottest topic for, well, people of any and all ages. Though the realism of virtual reality games kept rising, it was the first time any game could boast a staggering realism level of 99%. Previously, it had been completely unheard of, and the whole world waited with baited breath for the game to be released.

But when pre-ordering came about, ICE! Online sold out within _seconds_. Regular people didn't even get a chance to purchase the elusive game. Now, it was considered to be almost impossible to buy it, especially if you were not close with the game makers themselves.

So . . .

"Mari-oneesan," Yuuri gaped in complete shock as he stared at the game, the _actual game_ , in his shaking hands. Did his dear older sister sell a few organs in order to buy it? "How did you manage to get your hands on this?"

"Psh-aw," Mari scoffed gently, uncommon excitement overriding her usual laid-back habits. "I happen to have some connections, unlike you, little bro. And . . ."

The other woman reached up to ruffle Yuuri's hair, the slightest hint of guilt within her eyes. "I never ended up giving you a birthday present this year because I was so busy. So I thought this could make up for it."

"O-Oh," Yuuri blinked rapidly to clear his eyes of tears. Everyone knew how excited he had been for the game, and in turn how devastated he was when he couldn't get a copy. "You really didn't have to, nee-san."

"No, but I _wanted_ to," Mari corrected him with a smile before prying open one of the packages. "And we wasted enough time talking. Let's start putting this together! Now, where's the manual . . ."

.

.

.

In all honesty, ICE! Online was, at first glance, quite similar to all the virtual reality games Yuuri had tried out in the past. The manual had all the same instructions and warnings: don't remove the helmet of an unconscious gamer without medical supervision, don't try playing the game while drunk or sick, don't use damaged equipment . . . it hadn't been long before both siblings got the gist of things.

"Here," Mari said as she helped him set up his console. "You're still sleepy, right? I have an early shift today but you can start playing. You are on your holiday, after all."

"Thanks!" Yuuri gave her grateful smile as he picked up the game cartridge and inserted it carefully into the game helmet. Hugging her sister goodnight, the boy laid back onto his bed (with his cozy blankets that he snatched back this time!) and put the helmet on.

 ** _. . . Please wait . . ._**

 ** _. . . Downloading ICE! Online . . ._**

 ** _0%_**

 ** _2%_**

 ** _16%_**

 ** _28%_**

 ** _43%_**

 ** _69%_**

 ** _84%_**

 ** _99%_**

 ** _. . . Download Completed . . ._**

And then, with a big flash of light, everything went black.

* * *

"Um," Yuuri opened his eyes before blinking in confusion as he stared at the void of complete darkness. Why was everything so dark? Was the game cartridge defective? Oh no . . . Yuuri felt his heart skip a beat at just the thought. If that was the case, it would be a few hours before his family finds out and brings him to the hospital . . .

However, his surroundings began to change as soon as those scary questions ran through his head. At first, Yuuri thought it was because of his bad eyesight, but that couldn't be the case since there was no need for glasses in his mind. Squinting reflexively, Yuuri felt his mouth drop open in surprise as _snow_ began to fall from above.

Wow. Yuuri could actually feel the individual snowflakes falling onto his exposed skin. Though he had never doubted it, the game really was at the 99% realism level. Sighing in contentment, Yuuri closed his eyes and tilted his face up, mouth open in a childish attempt to catch a snowflake on the tip of his tongue . . .

And then something exploded right in front of his face. Screaming in both surprise and fear, Yuuri shielded his face before taking a few frantic steps back.

". . . Donnn!"

. . . _What_ . . . ?

Curious, and since a few seconds had passed without something hurting him, Yuuri cautiously peeked out of his hands before, _oh_ , um.

"Don!" A . . . bowl of katsudon (?) with chubby hands and feet and _wings_ yelled as he . . . it . . . flew around in the air. After it zoomed around a few times, it slowed to a stop in front of Yuuri's gaping face.

"Hello there, and welcome to ICE! Online! Since this is your first time playing, please give us a few moments to scan your body and record the data. This way, you will be able to enter the game immediately next time you put your helmet on!"

". . ." Yuuri stared blankly as the scanning process (complete with pretty neon glowing lights) started. The starting NPC . . . was a bowl of katsudon? With a heart-shaped mouth?

. . . Who the heck were the game makers for this game again? They certainly had a different sense of humor.

"Scanning is completed! Welcome . . . Y-Yuuri? Ah, Katsuki," The katsudon bowl exclaimed happily. . . though did it just stutter? "Now you may begin creating your character. Please remember that you only have one chance to create your character, in order to preserve the realism of the game. Once created, your race, name, and appearance cannot be dramatically changed."

Which made a lot of sense. Wow, 99% realism indeed. Not that Yuuri re-rolled a lot in his other games, so it didn't really affect him.

Smiling at the katsudon NPC (it never hurt to be nice, even to non-living entities), Yuuri nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, begin!"

The black, empty void surrounding them became less empty as the place was suddenly filled with realistic and seemingly living characters. Each one walked forward slowly, languidly posing as if they were models on a runway.

Yuuri . . . Yuuri felt his eyes swirl, feeling completely overwhelmed. The races varied greatly, from elves to humans to dwalves. There were fairies, demons, and angels. There were also beastmen and spirits, with what looked to be a dozen subcategories in each.

. . . Why were there so many choices?! What should Yuuri even pick?

The race specifics were similar in every game, so there was no need for Yuuri to ask the NPC for advice. For example, humans were known for their all-roundedness. The jack of all trades, so to speak. On the other hand, elves and fairies were known for their nimbleness, with fairies having an advantage in magic and elves an advantage in trades like thievery . . .

"Umm," Yuuri started slowly, still feeling quite dumbfounded. If he had been with Mari, he would have decided on a race that would be an advantage for a class opposite to hers. For example, a Support-Type like a cleric if she had picked to be a Warrior, or vice versa. Though Mari had never decided to be a Support-Type before.

Hmm. It was nice to be well-rounded like a human, but it was harder for them to find a party which was essential for later levels. But on the other hand, if Yuuri wanted to be a cleric, he couldn't expect to survive the early stages without a party if he wasn't well-rounded . . .

Dilemmas, dilemmas.

"Could I see myself as a human, first, please?" Yuuri asked as he nibbled nervously on his lower lip. Despite his misgivings, that was the race Yuuri usually picked, so he didn't think he would feel comfortable suddenly becoming a rock or a tree. Especially when the game boasted a level of 99% realism.

"Sure!" The katsudon chirped, sounding eager. Immediately, a mirror image of himself, but in a fantasy-traveler's garbs, appeared and walked forward. The potential beginner stats floated beside the semi-transparent and realistic image.

Yuuri frowned at those potential stats, having second thoughts once more. He liked being all-rounded, he really did. But being a human meant dramatically lowering his potential at any job he eventually chose. He still remembered the last time he had played with his sister, when Mari had died during their most important boss battle because human-him was just that less skilled in healing . . .

But on the other hand, if he wanted to be a better healer this time, he would have to be―

"C-Could I see myself as an angel?" Yuuri asked with a stutter, a bit sheepishly as he turned away from his human self. Immediately, human-him disappeared in a flash before another figure stepped forward.

And, _oh_.

"The other humanoid races are automatically given a 30% increase in beauty," the NPC explained and answered Yuuri's unspoken question, sounding almost breathless. "But _wow_."

Yuuri agreed with him. Wow.

Angel Yuuri walked over slowly. Or more like, _strutted_ over slowly, hips swaying to an imagined sultry melody despite his delicately angelic features. Silky and long black hair fluttered in the non-existent wind, caught by the same breeze as his pretty white wings. And his _eyes_. His eyes were two pretty pools of shimmering emotion.

Again, wow. Was this really Yuuri? Even with a 30% increase of beautification, Yuuri never saw himself as someone beautiful. After all, it was common to beautify yourself in games and in every other game he had played before, an automatic 70% increase in beauty applied.

But he had never looked as stunning as . . . that.

"Okay!" The katsudon NPC (who Yuuri was starting to suspect was not a NPC after all) started loudly, tone an octave higher than before. "Your race will be angel, right? Then it's decided!"

Wait. What?

Yuuri certainly hadn't decided that just yet.

Yuuri blinked dazedly. "B-But, the wings. They're so big so they must be annoying to have around, right?"

"Not at all!" The not-NPC ―a GM perhaps?― exclaimed cheerfully. "For the beginner levels, they act more as accessories. And afterwards, when you get stronger and more used to them, it may be even possible for you to fly!"

"B-But I . . . but . . ."

Yuuri frowned. It wasn't that he didn't want to be an angel, because he really did, but how was he supposed to fend for himself in the beginning? Despite Mari buying the console for herself as well, it wasn't like she was going to take a lot of time off playing it. And she certainly wasn't playing now, where he probably needed her the most.

"What's wrong?" Katsudon asked, tone now a bit worried. "Are you afraid of heights or something?"

But on the other hand, being an angel meant he could potentially _fly_. That was so _cool_.

"No," Yuuri said with a small sigh. "But I'm not playing with anyone right now, so how am I supposed to level up as an angel . . . ? Especially if I want to be a cleric . . . ?"

"Oh!" Katsudon said in understanding before flying around Yuuri's head. "The classes are much more flexible in ICE! Online! So you could easily be a very strong, offensive healer."

What? Yuuri blinked in surprise. That was another first in the long history of virtual reality games.

"Please," Katsudon begged, probably mistaking Yuuri's silence for a no. "Just look at angel you! It'll be such a waste if you don't be an angel! And, if you're afraid of not finding a party, I'll protect you, Yuuri!"

Wait. What.

"How can a katsudon bowl protect me?" Yuuri blurted out in disbelief. Then again, what character was the GM anyway? A katsudon spirit? How does katsudon bowls even fight?

Good question. Maybe they used their rice as bullets to shoot their enemies to death?

"What?" The GM asked in confusion, pausing for a few moments before breaking into sudden chuckles. "Oh! You see me as . . . kat-su-don? A pork cutlet bowl, yes? Well, as one of the people who helps newcomers log in, we take the image of whatever the player likes. That way nobody would be able to find out our true identities."

The katsudon bowl gave Yuuri a wink. Wow. Yuuri didn't even notice the GM had eyes.

But still, to get an offer (even if it may be fake or just pleasantries) like that from a Game Master, Yuuri felt completely honored.

"Okay, I guess," Yuuri started shyly, ignoring the other's enthusiastic cheers. "Thank you."

"No problem!" The GM hummed before angel-Yuuri became more solid. "Do you want to change your hairstyle or height?"

Yuuri blinked. Oh, right. And now, the fine-tuning started. Good thing Yuuri never really liked changing his image _too_ much. "Could I see myself with redder eyes?"

"Sure!" Immediately, angel-Yuuri's eyes turned into a dangerous red. Paired with the ebony-black locks and the pale skin, Yuuri wasn't sure if people would call him angelic or demonic. "Wow, that's perfect!"

Giving the GM another shy smile, Yuuri took one more look at his character before nodding. He didn't see any need to change his image any further.

"Done?" The bowl twirled around in the air in what seemed to be excitement. "Okay! What continent would you like to be born in?"

". . ." Yuuri stared. Uh. There were continents?

"Any is fine . . ." Yuuri started faintly. Maybe he should have read the manual more thoroughly . . .

"Great! Randomized it is. Have fun and enjoy the game then!"

Suddenly, the angel-him lunged forward to meet him and the floor beneath Yuuri's feet disappeared. Squealing in alarm, Yuuri looked up just in time to see the katsudon bowl fade away, the pixels turning into snow that dispersed into the air.

"Remember, Yuuri! If you need any help, just give me a signal!"

And then Yuuri started to free fall.

.

.

.

"AHHHHHH―"

. . . Why couldn't his wings help him now?!

* * *

.

.

.

"Ouch!"

Yuuri tumbled to the ground before he blinked at the very blue sky he had just fallen out of. Surprisingly, nothing hurt despite his less-than-stellar landing, not even his poor back that he had landed on. Wings twitching gently, the boy gingerly sat up before he looked around in curiosity.

He was in . . . an empty marketplace? His now long, black hair fluttered in the breeze as Yuuri decided to stand up. The place looked deserted, and for the first time since his sister gave him his non-answer, Yuuri wondered how the older woman had gotten the game.

This was a beginner village, for crying out loud! And the game only launched a few hours ago. So why was nobody here?

"Hmm," Yuuri muttered before he cast that thought out of his mind and took some cautious steps forward. He felt immediately satisfied; it really was as realistic as real life. "Oh, right! System!"

Good thing Yuuri remembered at least that from the manual he had quickly flipped through. Immediately after he said the word, his basic stats became visible to his eyes.

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

Again trying to replicate the realism of the real world, the skill points was randomly distributed.

 **[Level: 1 | Race: ANGEL | Class: NONE | Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 50 | Mana: 60]**

 **[Strength: 3 | Agility: 8 | Intelligence: 10 | Wisdom: 10 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 9]**

 **[Abilities: NONE]**

Yuuri beamed, pleasantly surprised at the stats he had gotten. The upper limit for each category was 10, so his stats were extremely good, especially for a would-be cleric. With such high Intelligence and Wisdom stats, magic casting would be a piece of cake. And the high Agility meant that he would be able to dodge most attacks!

Happy with that, Yuuri closed his stats and instead opened his pouch, manually, this time. Immediately, the stats of his clothing became visible (basic Angel Robe; +1 DEF, basic pants; +2 DEF). Reaching into the pouch, Yuuri withdrew a small sword (ATTK +1).

It was just as expected. All newbies were provided with the most basic of equipment and the plain sword he had in his hand was the epitome of basic.

Putting his sword and his pouch away, Yuuri began walking aimlessly to the edge of the beginner village. Now that he had familiarized himself with his new game character, it was time to do some leveling up. But . . . where would the first monsters be at? A field, perhaps . . . ?

"Bloop, bloop."

Yuuri blinked at the sound before looking up. And, oh wow, hello there. The hills beyond the golden gates of the beginner village was dotted with . . . flying slimes. No, seriously, the slimes had tiny little angel wings that somehow defied physics and aerodynamics by keeping the huge slimy bodies up.

Yuuri blinked. Well. He found the beginner monsters, at least. Maybe thanks to his high luck, but that thankfully was one thing down. Trotting over to the hills quickly, Yuuri took out his small sword again. There were some slimes . . . sunbathing on the ground? Wow, did slimes suddenly replace birds or something? Sneaking quietly up on a golden slime and squashing the slight guilt in his heart, Yuuri lifted his small sword and . . .

 **(Attack Successful, Flying Slime HP -5)**

Not giving the monster a chance to attack him back, Yuuri began to viciously stab at it.

 **(Attack Successful, Flying Slime HP -5)**

 **(Attack Successful, Flying Slime HP -5)**

 **(Attack Successful, Flying Slime HP -5)**

 **(Flying Slime has died, YUURI's experience has increased to 5/10, YUURI has learned a new ability ― Slice)**

Yuuri gasped, a bit out of breath and feeling quite surprised. As a healer, he almost never got his hands dirty like this, and killing something himself . . .

It wasn't actually all that bad. If anything, it was amazing stress relief. With a determined look in his gaze, Yuuri took a deep breath as he dashed forward to another slime, and then another, and then another . . .

 **(Attack Successful . . . Attack Successful . . . Attack Successful . . .)**

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ― ****YUURI has reached Level 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . .)**

 **(** ** _Ding_! System Notice ― ****YUURI has learned a new ability ― Continuous Strike)**

After finally finishing up the last slime on the hills, Yuuri sat down with a big huff. That had been . . . fun. Exhilarating, even, and Yuuri could now see why his sister had loved being in the front lines so much despite her low pain tolerance.

Stretching, Yuuri stood up again before taking a step toward the village ―

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ― ****YUURI has picked up Basic Knife; ATTK +3)**

Wait. Yuuri blinked before looking down. Whoops! He almost made such a careless newbie mistake! He forgot to pick up the scattered loot!

Rushing around to grab the things from the ground, Yuuri began putting on any clothing loot (Basic Ring; +2% Mana, Angel Wing Hair Pin; +1 DEF) that would help increase his stats. In addition, the boy had also managed to get around two hundred coppers, and even a few jelly snacks (+10 HP).

Nibbling on one such jelly treat, Yuuri opened up his stats once again. After leveling up so many times, he probably had a ton of skill points to assign.

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 10 | Race: ANGEL | Class: NONE | Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 27** **]**

 **[Health: 100 | Mana: 160]**

 **[Strength: 3 | Agility: 8 | Intelligence: 10 | Wisdom: 10 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 9]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 2, Attack Power +6%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 1, can attack continuously up to six times** **]**

Yuuri hummed before, with some thought, emptied most of his skill points into Intelligence and Wisdom. He didn't forget to add some into the other categories, however. If Yuuri wanted to survive the beginning without a party, he would have to be able to protect himself.

Thus, his new stats became . . .

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 10 | Race: ANGEL | Class: NONE | Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 100 | Mana: 160]**

 **[Strength: 8 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 20 | Wisdom: 20 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 9]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 2, Attack Power +6%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 1, can attack continuously up to six times** **]**

Humming again in delight, Yuuri closed his stats before he re-entered his beginner village and looked around. Class changes were at level ten, right? Yuuri vaguely remembered that from the game manual. But the village was quite huge, and Yuuri didn't know where he should go to change his class in order to become a cleric . . . Luckily, a NPC with a floating HELP screen was sitting on a bench. Walking toward the NPC, Yuuri sat down beside them before giving them a hesitant smile.

"Ah," the NPC woman spoke up when they lifted their head and saw him. "What's wrong, dearie? You look so glum! Don't worry, just tell your Aunty all your sorrows!"

. . . Again, who made the game again? Why was it so weird?

"Um, Aunty," Yuuri started nervously. "I want to be a cleric. Where do I go to become that?"

"Oh, you're ready now, sweetie?" The NPC exclaimed, sniffing wetly. "You're all grown up. Level ten already, huh? Why do the little ones always grow up so fast . . . ?"

Yuuri sweat-dropped before subtly interrupting the NPC's sudden monologue. "Um, changing classes?"

"Ah right," the woman nodded. "To become a cleric, you must go to the east side of the main square. There should be an apothecary there. Go in and speak with the healer. He will be the one who will judge your abilities."

Yuuri nodded. Made sense. Thanking the NPC for its time, Yuuri set off to do just that.

When he reached the shop he was told about, the boy made his way inside. Another NPC manned the front desk, this time a gorgeous man who gave him a vague and dreamy smile.

"Hello! Welcome to my shop. Are you here for some healing potions?"

"Oh, no," Yuuri responded amicably. "I'm interested in becoming a cleric . . . ?"

Immediately the NPC's face lighted up before he settled into a solemn air.

"Really? That's great! However, a cleric is a hard profession to be in. You must be able to heal and have the heart to save, but you must also know when to give up. Are you sure you wish to become a cleric?"

Yuuri nodded, even as he turned the words over in his head with a smile. They were quite fitting and special, as clerics were usually seen as the weaker players. "Positive."

"Alright," the NPC smiled again. "I can see your resolve is strong, but is it strong enough? Before I bless you to take on the difficult duties of a cleric, go to the Forest and collect five angel rose petals for me."

"What?" Yuuri blinked in surprise. "What are angel rose petals?"

"Just petals from the most beautiful flower!" The NPC exclaimed. "Don't worry, you will recognize them for sure!"

 **( _Ding!_ System Notice ****―** **Quest: Class Change CLERIC accepted!)**

Yuuri sighed before giving the NPC another small smile. Quickly, he made his way to the forest before looking for the flower petals the NPC had wanted . . .

Angel rose petals. Were they just regular roses? White roses? Roses with wings? With the bizarre things Yuuri had seen so far, any of the options seemed possible. Yuuri sighed again as he kept his eyes on the greenery. And why did the NPC say he would recognize it in the first place?

Walking through another thicket of bushes, Yuuri shook his head to get rid of the leaves . . . before freezing.

Whoa. Okay, he could now see why the NPC had been so adamant about him recognizing the angel roses. Gigantic roses made out of white feathers filled the area, and Yuuri could hear the soft voices of a choir singing in the background. Quickly going over to the nearest flower, the boy plucked five feathers before placing them gently into his pouch.

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ****―** **Angel Rose Petal: OBTAINED!)**

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ****―** **Angel Rose Petal: OBTAINED!)**

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ****―** **Angel Rose Petal: OBTAINED!)**

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ****―** **Angel Rose Petal: OBTAINED!)**

 **(** ** _Ding!_ System Notice ****―** **Angel Rose Petal: OBTAINED!)**

With that out of the way, the boy retraced his steps and hurried back to the apothecary. Making his way to the NPC once more, Yuuri took out the feathers, er, flower petals, before handing them over.

"I've collected the five petals," Yuuri smiled. "Can I become a cleric now?"

"Wow," the NPC took the feathers and inspected them. "Your resolve shines through loud and clear, my dear angel."

All of a sudden, a flash of white light surrounded Yuuri as the choir from before started singing once more.

 **( _Ding!_ System Notice: YUURI's class has successfully been changed to CLERIC!)**

Beaming, Yuuri immediately called up his stats once more just to double-check.

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 10 | Race: ANGEL | Class: CLERIC| Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 100 | Mana: 160]**

 **[Strength: 8 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 20 | Wisdom: 20 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 9]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 2, Attack Power +6%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 1, can attack continuously up to six times** **]**

"As per the rules," the NPC started as the feathers in his hands disappeared. "Now that you have changed classes, we will gift you your first weapon. You can choose any weapon, and only the Fates will decided if you get something useful. In addition, you can choose three new abilities. These abilities include Light Shield, Wings of Light, Heal, Charming Manipulation, Good Luck, Light Arrow, Light Beam, Light Strike, and Blinding Light. Or you can choose a surprise ability!"

Yuuri blinked rapidly at the sudden overload of information. Well, first off, he needed a weapon. But. Yuuri wanted to be an offensive cleric. Was there even a weapon for that profession? . . . Was there even such a profession?

"Umm," Yuuri started slowly. "Is there an offensive staff type of weapon for a cleric?"

"Of course," the NPC beamed. "There you go, it's already in your inventory!"

 **( _Ding!_ System Notice ― Eros' Gift: OBTAINED!)**

Quickly, Yuuri opened his pouch, and drew out . . . and again, whoa. It was a thin golden staff with a fancy blue jewel on top, and small angel wings on both sides. To be honest, Yuuri would have thought it to be based off a random magical girl's anime, however. The bottom of the staff was a _reaper's blade_.

Wow. That was really kind of cool.

"Excuse me, little angel?" The NPC asked, shaking Yuuri from his admiration of his new weapon. "Have you decided on your three skills?"

Yuuri quickly put his weapon back before thinking over his options. As a cleric, he had to learn Heal for sure, and since he didn't have a party, learning a shield spell over a buffer would be smarter. But the last ability . . . Yuuri bit his lower lip. Any basic and offensive Cleric spell was always extremely weak, but it would be good if he could learn at least one . . .

Well, Yuuri's luck was pretty high, right?

"Can I learn Heal, Light Shield, and a surprise ability?" Yuuri asked at last.

"Of course!"

 **( _Ding!_ System notice: YUURI learns 3 new abilities – Heal; Ability Level 1/ Light Shield; Ability Level 1, DEF +15% / Star Shower; Ability Level 1)**

Yuuri blinked. Star Shower? What was that? The icon beside the ability identified it as an offensive spell, which was good, but wow. It took up _50%_ of your Mana points. That was utterly crazy, so hopefully it would be crazy strong as well.

Thanking the NPC and going back to the Village Shop to stock up on Mana potions, Yuuri was just about to step into another higher tier monster ground, wolves this time, when―

"Ah! Help! Someone, please help!"

Yuuri froze. Looking up, he blinked in surprise as he watched a lithe dark elf run away from a pack of five snarling wolves. Wow, it was the first time Yuuri saw another player . . . though he looked like he was in trouble. On the bright side, elves had the highest agility like fairies out of all the races. On the not-so-bright side, it seemed like this particular elf was getting tired. It didn't seem likely that he would survive the monster pack without some outside interference. Thus, rushing forward and taking out Eros' Gift, Yuuri closed his eyes in slight fright before he swung the scythe-end rapidly.

 **(Attack Successful, Wolf HP -25)**

 **(Attack Successful, Wolf HP -25)**

 **(Attack Successful, Wolf HP -25)**

 **(Critical Attack! Wolf HP -100)**

 **(YUURI has killed Wolf, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXX)**

Panting, Yuuri didn't even stop for a second before he whipped around and _skewered_ his second wolf.

 **(Critical Attack! Wolf HP -100)**

 **(YUURI has killed Wolf, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXX)**

Turning to his third wolf, Yuuri noted with relief that the dark elf had taken out one wolf himself and was now vigorously battling the last one. A few slashes of his scythe later, and his third wolf was a goner.

 **( _Ding_! System notice: YUURI has reached level 11!)**

Well. That went fast. Sighing in relief, Yuuri turned toward the bedraggled dark elf and quickly cast his first **Heal** spell on him.

"Ah," the dark elf said in surprise as he turned around to face Yuuri. Suddenly, the boy's eyes started to sparkle. "Y-You're a _cleric_? And you can fight like that?"

"Oh," Yuuri started sheepishly before lifting Eros' Gift. "Yeah, but its mostly thanks to the weapon I randomly got."

"It looks so cool," the dark elf said reverently before he suddenly snapped out of his sparkly mode. "Oh, sorry! My name is Phichit Chulanont and I'm a level ten dark elf! I'm on my quest to become a Warrior."

"It's nice to meet you, Phichit," Yuuri said with a small smile. "My name is Yuuri Katsuki and I'm a level eleven angel. As you know, I'm a Cleric."

"A very kickass cleric!" Phichit, and the boy was quite cute, if perhaps a bit younger than Yuuri, beamed. "Um, ah, Yuuri, after I become a Warrior would you form a party with me?"

Yuuri gaped in astonishment. Wait, what? Did he just hear what he thought he had heard?

* * *

"System," Yuuri said softly as his stats became visible once more.

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 11 | Race: ANGEL | Class: CLERIC| Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 3** **]**

 **[Health: 120 | Mana: 190]**

 **[Strength: 8 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 20 | Wisdom: 20 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 9]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 3/Attack Power +8%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 2/can attack continuously up to seven times,** **Heal** **―** **Ability Level 1, Light Shield** **―** **Ability Level 1/DEF +15%, Star Shower; Ability Level 1** **]**

Yuuri hummed. Since he leveled up to level eleven, he now had three new skill points to assign. On one hand, he would like to boost his lowest stat, Strength. On the other, he had Phichit with him now so it would probably be wiser to become a better healer.

Assigning his skill points respectively, Yuuri studied his new stats with a satisfied smile.

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 11 | Race: ANGEL | Class: CLERIC| Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 120 | Mana: 190]**

 **[Strength: 8 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 21 | Wisdom: 21 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 10]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 3/Attack Power +8%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 2/can attack continuously up to seven times,** **Heal** **―** **Ability Level 1, Light Shield** **―** **Ability Level 1/DEF +15%, Star Shower; Ability Level 1** **]**

"Yuuri!" Phichit skipped toward him, smiling brightly. "I'm a warrior now!"

"Congratulations, Phichit!" Yuuri smiled back as he closed his stats. The boy was supposed to collect ten Wolf Fangs for his quest, but apparently he had accidentally aggro-ed a whole pack of wolves in his enthusiasm. To be honest, Yuuri thought it was a bit unfair how his Quest to become a Cleric was so much easier, but, well. He guessed it made sense.

"So, what are our plans now?" Phichit asked as he took one of the jelly snacks Yuuri offered him. "Do you want to stay here and level up? Or do you want to explore?"

Yuuri bit his lower lip. If he was by himself, the boy would have definitely stayed in the beginner's area to level up. Though there were stronger monsters outside that gave better experience points, as a Cleric Yuuri wouldn't be able to kill them easily enough for it to be an advantage. If he had been with a strong party, it would have been different. But just with Phichit . . . Yuuri was afraid that he would fail to save both of them if they were attacked . . .

"Let's just stay here for now," Yuuri decided with a nod. Better be safe than sorry. And it wasn't like his new companion minded; Phichit happily agreed before he suddenly perked up.

"Could we go back to the wolves? I think they're the strongest monsters around the beginner's area."

Agreeing with the boy, Yuuri followed him back to the wolves again. This time, Yuuri opted to take a more . . . Cleric's role as he watched his companion take a wolf on.

Phichit really was quite cute. He had dark skin, characteristic of a dark elf, and short, dark hair. Instead of Yuuri's basic Angel Robe, Phichit wore simple clothing woven out of dark, leaf-like material. Phichit also chose a thin, rapier sword as his weapon and unlike Yuuri's amateur attacks with his scythe, every one of Phichit's moves looked beautiful and choreographed. With his race and his class, Phichit would probably become a Dark Knight once they got to their class specializations.

 **(PHICHIT has killed Wolf, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

Yuuri suspected that his new friend probably took fencing lessons in real life, and was probably very good at it too. After all, anyone who managed to get the game was extremely wealthy and influential, anyway. With the exception of himself, of course.

"Yuuuuri!" Phichit whined as he turned around, panting slightly from exertion. "I know I'm quite dazzling, but stop watching and come fight with me! It's less boring that way!"

"But . . ." Yuuri started hesitantly. He remembered how some of the more hardcore gamers hated it when clerics or even mages tried to butt into their battles. Would Phichit be the same? "I'm a Cleric . . ."

Yuuri should have never doubted his newfound friend.

"Like I said, you're a badass Cleric," Phichit retorted, eyes twinkling. "And you have nerves of steel for running in to help me take on a Wolf mob. I'm not that familiar with scythes, but I'm quite good with a types of blades! So I can teach you a few things."

". . ." Yuuri felt speechless.

"A-Ah, of course," Phichit began, slightly nervous. "Only if you want to! I mean, I'm awesome enough to protect both of us if you just want to heal―"

Beaming, Yuuri took out his weapon and rushed in to spear a wolf.

 **(Critical Attack! Wolf HP -100)**

 **(YUURI has killed Wolf, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

Phichit perked up again and whistled. With a bright grin, he ran in again to back Yuuri up. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

.

.

.

 **(PHICHIT has killed Wolf, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

 **(YUURI has killed Wolf, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

 **(PHICHIT has killed Wolf, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

 **(YUURI has killed Wolf, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

 **( _Ding!_ System Notice: YUURI has reached level 12, YUURI's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX, / PHICHIT has reached level 11, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXX/XXXX)**

 **(** ** _Ding_! System Notice ― ****YUURI has learned a new ability ― Scythe Swipe)**

 **(Weapon: Eros' Gift level up – Weapon Level 2, attack power +15, Mana +15%, heal power +15%)**

After a long session of killing wolves, both Yuuri and Phichit sat down before going through their System Notices and collecting the loot. They had managed to demolish all the wolves in the area, and since it took a while for them to re-spawn they were safe to relax for the moment.

"Congrats, Yuuri!" Phichit cried as his eyes brightened. "You're level twelve now!"

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 12 | Race: ANGEL | Class: CLERIC| Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 150 | Mana: 220]**

 **[Strength: 9 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 22 | Wisdom: 22 | Charisma: 10 | Luck: 10]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 3/Attack Power +8%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 2/can attack continuously up to seven times,** **Heal** **―** **Ability Level 1, Light Shield** **―** **Ability Level 1/DEF +15%, Star Shower; Ability Level 1, Scythe Swipe** **― Ability Level 2/Attack Power +12%** **]**

"And you're level eleven," Yuuri added with a smile as he finished assigning his new skill points. "Congrats to you too―"

"OH MY GOD!"

Yuuri jumped, startled as his companion suddenly sat up with wide eyes. For a moment, Yuuri thought that they had miscalculated the timing and some wolves had already re-spawned, but a glance at the landscape told him that it was not the case.

Phichit turned to him, eyes sparkling. "Yuuri! Your weapon leveled up!"

"Huh?" Oh yeah, his weapon did level up. "Wow, it did. That's not very realistic . . ."

"Who cares about if it being realistic or not?" Phichit was almost bouncing in his seat now with excitement. "Yuuri, only godly-level growing type weapons level up! Those are almost impossible to get!"

Eyes widening, Yuuri took out Eros' Gift and stared at it. It looked a bit different now, the previously dull jewel now a shinier dark blue. In addition, did the blade get longer . . . ?

"Wow!" Yuuri blinked. "Wait, that means I don't have to buy better weapons!"

Phichit nodded. "Yeah! Wow, Yuuri, you're so lucky."

"I guess," Blushing, Yuuri turned toward the loot they had collected. "So, how should we split this?"

"Hmm," Phichit picked up a Wolf Fang and a Wolf Claw. "Do you think I can take all of these? I think there's a Quest where I can use them to upgrade my rapier."

"That's fine," Yuuri agreed easily. Okay, yeah, he was still a bit over the moon with his dear weapon. Because, just think of all the money he could save! "You can take the Hunter Boots as well. It fits your class more."

Phichit picked up the boots before cocking his head. "Are you sure? This is a good drop though . . . In that case, you get to keep the money and the Pet Egg!"

Yuuri blinked as he stared at the random Egg they had found. The money was nice as the wolves paid better than the Flying Slimes from before, but an Egg . . . The Pets in the games from before were never too realistic . . .

Then again, this game was nothing like the games Yuuri had played before.

"Sure, I guess!" Yuuri said as he took the Egg and the silver coins. "But, um, how do I hatch it?"

Phichit gave him a disbelieving look.

"Man, Yuuri, did you even read the game manual? All you have to do is drip a few drops of your blood onto the Egg. It should crack and whatever comes out of it would recognize you as the Master."

Blushing again in embarrassment, Yuuri took the knife he had from before and made a small cut on his thumb. Ignoring the slight pain and letting a few drops of the red liquid fall on top of the pale egg, Yuuri squeaked in surprise when it began to glow.

Um, was it supposed to do that? Again, this didn't seem very realistic . . .

Suddenly, the egg cracked open and a brown blur smacked into Yuuri's face.

 **( _Ding!_ System notice: Egg Successfully Hatched)**

"Woof!"

"Hey!" Yuuri giggled slightly as a pink tongue kissed his nose repeatedly. Sitting back up and ignoring Phichit's laughter, the boy stared, stupefied at the tiny puppy in his lap. "You look a lot like . . ."

"He's so cute!" Phichit smiled as he petted the puppy. "Check its stats, Yuuri!"

Yuuri nodded as he cooed at the frankly familiar puppy.

 **( _Ding!_ System notice: Please give your new pet a name)**

"Mm," Yuuri mumbled, staring at the adorable creature. A name? What should he name it? Nothing really came to mind, and Yuuri could only think about how the puppy resembled the dog of . . . "Vicchan."

 **(Pet owner: YUURI KATSUKI | Pet name: VICCHAN | Level: 1)**

 **(Health: 40 | Mana: 60 | Unspent skill points: 0)**

 **(Strength: 6 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 6 | Willpower: 7 | Wisdom: 10)**

 **(Abilities: Fetch** **― Ability Level 1/increase rare drops by 5%, Bite** **― Ability Level 1/Attack Power +5%, Growl** **― Ability Level 1/Reduces opponent attack power by 5%)**

Wow. A dog had the same agility stat as he did. Yuuri blinked. And his abilities were quite good and useful too. Yuuri felt like he had lucked out.

"Vicchan?" Phichit asked with a bewildered stare. "Why Vicchan?"

Yuuri flushed. And he had been hoping that Phichit wouldn't ask. ". . . It's short for Viktor."

"Viktor?" Immediately, Phichit's smile turned a tad teasing. After all, any gamer, light or hardcore, would recognize that name. "Viktor Nikiforov? _That_ Viktor?"

Yuuri groaned and buried his red face in Viccan's fur as Phichit laughed brightly.

"I never knew you were a fan, Yuuri! Ah, ha ha don't look so embarrassed! I am a big fan of his too!"

* * *

Viktor Nikiforov could be considered as an icon for virtual reality gaming. Well, his very pretty face probably helped out with that too. Ever since the boy was sixteen, he had already been at the top of any VR game player rankings. From the pitiful first attempts of virtual reality gaming to the last hottest game, _The Life_ , Viktor had always been the strongest player. No other could have ever matched him, and not for the lack of trying. By now, every game company would have signed a contract with the man to use his pictures in order to promote their games.

He was famous, charismatic, and the God of gaming. A living legend, really. And saying Yuuri was a big fan of the man would be a severe understatement.

Viktor was probably what had gotten Yuuri into virtual reality gaming in the first place. It all started off when Yuuri was twelve, where he was playing with his childhood friends Yuuko and Takeshi. They were having one of their daily slumber parties, and were casually fighting for the remote on the couch when _he_ came on.

Viktor, glorious Viktor, long-haired and delicate and already the top player of a dinosaur VR game. He had advertised the game, showed off his flashy armor and strong attacks, and . . . and . . .

And Yuuri was hooked. Well, to be fair, both of his friends were too.

Virtual reality games were quite expensive then, well, they always cost a pretty penny, but all three of them took time to save up their allowances in order to buy the games together. And when they finally tried it out . . . casting his first spell had been magical.

So yes, Yuuri might have a slight obsession with Viktor Nikiforov. Not that he would ever admit it, even if his walls ―covered with numerous posters of the man― would tell you otherwise.

"Do you think Viktor is playing ICE! Online?" Phichit asked curiously as he swung his feet back and forth. They were sitting on a bench after they had gone back to the village. Mostly because Yuuri needed to go stock up on Mana potions once more, though Phichit did take the chance to buy some food.

"Hmm," Yuuri started as he stared at one of his Mana potions. The colour of the potion was clear but it changed every time he moved the bottle, and all in all it looked quite pretty . . . "I doubt someone as influential as him in the gaming world didn't get a copy of the game."

"That's true," Phichit nodded. "Have you ever met him before?"

Oh, Yuuri _wished_ that would happen. However, he had never become strong enough to do so, not in a single game. In addition, it wasn't like the man had ever opened the doors to his extremely exclusive Guild.

"No, not really. How about you?"

Phichit blinked at him, looking surprised before he grinned again. "Actually, yes. I met him once but it wasn't in-game."

"Really?" Yuuri felt himself gaping. "Wow. How did you know it was him?"

After all, Viktor was notoriously known for not getting caught by the media, despite his extremely large fan-base. Nobody knew how the real Viktor looked like, and many suspected that the man was actually an NPC created by the gaming companies.

"Hmm," Phichit hummed. "Let's just say that its impossible to miss Viktor, in real life or in a game. Anyway, enough about him! I kind of need to get going."

Yuuri blinked before looking at his clock. And, whoa, whoops. His little nap turned to be something much more and it was almost noon.

"Yeah," Yuuri conceded with a huff. "I should probably go too."

"See you later?" Phichit asked with a tentative smile. Yuuri immediately nodded before bidding his friend goodbye. They had already exchanged contact information, after all.

"Sure!"

Logging out of the game, Yuuri felt his surroundings fade to black before suddenly, he was blinking up at his room ceiling. Or, rather, a huge poster of the great Viktor Nikiforov.

Letting out a sigh, Yuuri took off his game helmet before stretching. Phantom sores from the game pained his poor feet, but they quickly disappeared when Yuuri stood up. Putting the game helmet to the side gently, Yuuri stared at the posters that dotted his walls before walking out with another sigh.

He needed to get some breakfast, and then he had to go take over his shift from Mari. There was no use staring at Viktor's images like he used to as a kid.

After all, despite it being his dream . . . it wasn't like Yuuri would ever get to meet his idol, right?

* * *

 **. . . Loading File . . .**

 **Continue?**

 **(YES/NO)**

* * *

 **AN:** AKA the longest chapter I have ever written! Clocking in at over 8k, wow. Anyway, I'll be going back to the horrors of school soon, so. Wish me good luck for my exams this month!

Here's another YOI fic, but this one is a virtual reality game fic. I believe every fandom should have a couple of these, ha ha. This was inspired by Sword Art Online and Half Prince!

Thank you for checking this out and please also check out my other YOI fics~ /winks/ Your support is very much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**ICE Online**

* * *

 **Summary:** In the virtual reality game ICE Online, Katsuki Yuuri is a demonic-looking angel Cleric who is actually quite bad-ass . . . at least according to his Warrior friend Phichit. Yuuri just wants to level up quickly without running into random Mob Bosses, though he certainly wouldn't mind it if he ran into his idol, top player Viktor Nikiforov. That is, he thought he wouldn't. Yuuri wasn't too sure now, especially when the man had . . . all but glued himself to his side?!

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Nope, I don't own this awesome anime. Not even in my dreams do I have that privilege . . .

* * *

 **CHAPTER II:** not a fairy, but a kemonomimi leopard

* * *

Okay, so. Yuuri swore he tried resisting the urge to call his friend, but. How could he when he was just so happy? Thus, Yuuri decided to chat on his phone instead of eating a nice breakfast.

Pfft, his priorities. But ah, well. His empty stomach was probably worth the conversation.

"And I opened it and guess what? It was ICE! Online!"

"ACTUALLY?"

Yuuri giggled as he heard his good friend Yuuko gasp in shock. Yuuko had been one of the people he had gone to brokenheartedly when he realized he couldn't get a copy of the game, so she knew just how ecstatic he was right now. And boy, was he happy.

"Yes! It's the real deal!"

"Yuuri!" And yup, dear Yuuko literally squealed in delight. "That is so great! Your sister is amazing!"

Yuuri immediately nodded. That was the understatement of the century.

"Right?" Yuuri agreed verbally as well, cheeks warm. "I can't believe she would go that far for me. I still don't know how she managed to get two copies, either. I hope it hadn't been too much trouble."

"Well . . ."

Yuuko hummed in thought. "It probably wasn't? Maybe she got a chance because of her job? Your sister is a game designer, right? She does have connections with these sort of things."

"Yeah, I guess," Yuuri agreed. Man, had he known how awesome game designing was, he would have picked that instead of his current major! All he did right now was study and research, rinse and repeat. Sure, Yuuri loved what he did, but Mari seemed to have so much more fun as she rushed to her project team every other week.

"Which reminds me," Yuuko began. "How's your project going, Yuuri?"

Ah. Yuuri's project. Yuuri was a dime-of-the-dozen student at the XXX University, and all of his classmates were given a project in the beginning of their first year. It was a long-term project that he was supposed to hand in before he graduated, which would be quite soon. To be honest, Yuuri hadn't been working on it much since the hype for ICE! Online started. But on the bright side though, unlike his many classmates, he was already almost done.

"I'm almost finished," Yuuri replied with a smile. "I just have to write some conclusions after I check out my hypothesis in the lab."

"Wow. I heard from some people that they're crying over it. That's our Yuuri," Yuuko joked, tone proud. "The only university student who never procrastinates."

Yuuri smiled and turned his nose up, even though he knew his friend couldn't see him. "Yeah, I'm not like you or Takeshi, that's for sure."

"Yeah ― wait. Hey!"

.

.

.

After a long and tedious afternoon where Yuuri took over his sister's job without food (he unfortunately didn't have time to snatch a breakfast after his chat), the boy was finally seated down in their kitchen as Mari shoved a big bowl of noodles beneath his nose.

At that point, Yuuri was absolutely starving and so Mari looked almost angelic as she handed him some chopsticks. Add in what happened that glorious morning, and Yuuri was almost ready to proclaim his undying love for his older sister.

"So," Mari started casually, as subtle as a flashing neon sign. Well, then again, subtlety was never his sister's forte. "How do you like the game so far?"

"Mphm!" Yuuri immediately swallowed his big mouthful of noodles (in other words, the quick and very late brunch his sister had kindly whipped up for him despite her own tight schedule) before beaming brightly. This was a topic he could totally gush about all day, his need for food aside.

"It's absolutely amazing! And so realistic! If I didn't know I was in the game with cool magic I don't think I would have been able to tell the difference between it and real life!"

Despite Yuuri's overflowing praise, ICE! Online was really just that amazing. Yuuri had his doubts like always when the first commercial for the game had gone viral, but his experience in ICE! Online had completely gone beyond his expectations. Back then, when he had realized that he couldn't get a copy, Yuuri had resigned himself to following the forums of the lucky people who did get it in order to assuage his curiosity. But now . . .

Now Yuuri could actually play it himself, and it was all thanks to his dear older sister.

"That's good," Mari's lips quirked up into what seemed like an almost proud smile. Well, she had the right to be proud, since Yuuri couldn't remember the last time he had ever been this happy. Ever since they were young, Mari had always been the best at drawing out his smiles, and when they grew older it seemed to have become her goal to do so as many times as she could. Yuuri really didn't deserve a sister like her.

"I'm really glad you like it, kiddo. Did you meet anyone yet? I'll have to make my character later, but I don't know if I'll have the time to play the game that much . . ."

"I love the game!" Yuuri assured her (ha! As if he could dislike ICE! Online!) before nodding with a bright smile. It was still a surprise to him, but he did meet a new friend for once. And it was a new friend who actually wanted to stay with him! "And it's fine, you don't have to babysit me this time, Mari-nee! I met a Warrior who's part of my party now! He's so nice!"

Yuuri beamed again, before standing up and giving the surprised older woman a big hug. "Thank you so much, nee-san! This is the best, _best_ present I've ever gotten!"

Despite not being a touchy-touchy person, Mari let him cling to her for a few seconds before she pulled back with a smirk. Yuuri immediately paled and braced himself, his euphoria calming immediately. Every time his sister had _that_ expression on, he always got humiliated . . .

"Eh? Even better than the rare, special edition Viktor Nikiforov dakimakura I got for you when you were―"

Yup. Oh hello, dear Humiliation, please have a nice stay. Yuuri felt his face explode with red, and yes, really. He could literally feel his blood rushing to his cheeks at the quick speed of light.

"Or how about the limited edition set-of-five posters I got for you when you were just fourteen―"

"NEE-SAN, PLEASE STOP TALKING RIGHT NOW! PLEASE!"

* * *

"Games give you a chance to excel,

and if you're playing in good company

you don't even mind if you lose

because you had the enjoyment of

the company during the course of the game."

― Gary Gygax

* * *

It was a nice day again in ICE! Online. Well, at least where Yuuri and Phichit were staying. Like in real life, the weather in the game changed everyday as well. Unlike real life, however, sometimes it could be quite severe. Only the beginner areas and a few (very few!) select places had the rare and nice, summer weather. Most of the other places were quite cold and icy, completely befitting of the game's name.

Then again, the weather wasn't the main reason why the game was named ICE! Online . . .

Yuuri thanked the NPC storekeeper once again as he stuffed multiple Mana potions into his poor, bulging bag. At least he was a Cleric; he didn't need to buy the expensive healing candy as well . . . then again, it was only because he was a cleric that he was burning through his potions so quickly. Even the Mages didn't use up Mana potions as fast as them Clerics!

After all, it was a fact that it was much easier to destroy something than to put it back together again. Despite being centuries old, Humpty Dumpty was onto something. Thus, even in games healing spells generally used up much more Mana points than an offensive spell. With the way Yuuri now had to heal both himself and his friend when they got hurt, his Mana bar had never stopped moving in battles.

Hmm, maybe he should ask for the money portion again the next time they split the loot . . .

"Thank you for your purchase! Please come again!"

Yuuri sighed before turning to his friend, waiting patiently. Phichit had been quite eager to browse the edible section of the shop like always (which didn't consist of anything but small snacks), and really, Yuuri was just putting the money they got to much better use!

"Oh right. Yuuri," Phichit began solemnly as he finished up his own purchase, which again, was just a bundle of a variety of snacks. But instead of his usual cheer, the other boy's pretty brown eyes were wide and heartfelt as he sidled up to his friend. "You know we can't do this any more. Let's end this."

. . .

". . . Okay, fine," Yuuri sighed with the soft tones of remorse. His head drooped into his shoulders as he nodded slowly. "If you really want to that badly . . ."

"Yuuri!" Phichit gasped . . . in pure delight before he began jumping up and down with joy. He took on a joking tone as he danced nimbly around him, completely exuberant. "You finally agreed to leave on an adventure! Phew, I thought we'll never move beyond the beginner's area!"

Yuuri pouted sulkily even as he followed his ecstatic friend to the gates of their newbie town. Although he was now level thirty-six, and Phichit level thirty-two, the newbie monsters had still been serving them well. Sure, leveling up was a bit (okay, a lot) slower now, but the speed they grinded and cleared out the mobs were no joke. They were even lucky enough to stumble upon both the Flying Slime Boss and the Wolf Boss!

Then again, killing multiple wolves in one swipe every single time had gotten much less satisfying. Though Yuuri had the patience of a saint, even he was getting a bit bored with their slow progress. Leveling up was literally an once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence now. There was no wonder that his friend had been so keen on moving on, though Yuuri had still been reluctant to do so despite his boredom. After all, the monsters out there were no joke, and with only the two of them . . .

But at level thirty-six now, Yuuri could probably be able to keep Phichit alive in the big, bad world? Probably, right?

 _Right?_

"Are you leaving already?" The NPC who stood guard at the gates asked softly. Even though Yuuri knew the weary-looking soldier was a NPC, he couldn't help but smile at the man reassuringly.

"Yeah," Phichit answered the NPC cheerily, as if he was talking to a long-time acquaintance. "Can we have two passports, please?"

"Of course," the soldier said with an almost sad smile as he pulled out two passports from his jacket. Briefly, Yuuri wondered what would happen to the beginner area since the only players that had spawned there were leaving. Would it be shut down? Probably, but what was going to happen to the NPCs?

"That will be . . ."

Then again, it was fine, wasn't it? It wasn't like the NPCs were real. They only seemed real because of their Artificial Intelligence. Still, Yuuri bowed respectively to the soldier in thanks and goodbye as he took the passport offered to him, and Phichit followed his lead.

"Have safe travels!"

After they forked over the money for their travelling fees, the two of them finally began their journey into the new world. Yuuri was understandably extremely excited, and Phichit even more so.

"So," Phichit chirped happily as they followed the small and worn dirt path. "Where do you want to go first, Yuuri?"

Okay, despite being blindsided the first time he was asked that question by the GM, Yuuri was now prepared. He hadn't spent his lunch break with Mari thoroughly reading the game manual for nothing, after all. He even checked the just-formed forums for the game, though admittedly there wasn't much information on it yet.

"Can we go to Sochio City?"

"Sochio City?" Phichit blinked slowly as he repeated Yuuri's words. "You mean . . . the one they based off of the past City of Sochi? Sure, I guess, but why did you pick that one? I thought that you would have for sure wanted to go to Chani."

"Well, Sochio is the closest city to us right now, for one. Also, I heard it's quite beautiful . . ."

Despite claiming to have a 99% level of realism, a game would always be a game. Nobody would want to play if they had to spend all their time travelling from place to place like real life. Thus, you could buy transport crystals in any big city. Those crystals would immediately transport you to the city you bought the crystal in when you were somewhere else. Each city had a different crystal, and sometimes players would sell their crystals in a different city.

However, without them players had to travel slowly by foot or by ship. That was why Yuuri had vetoed the idea of going to the Chani continent. It was the continent based on the country China, which, wow, _cool_ , and despite it apparently being the continent for magic-users ( _double_ cool) it was just too far away.

At their current levels, they just weren't strong enough yet to survive travelling there. But on the other hand, Sochio City was doable, or so his manual and those forums had said. Thankfully, it seemed to be true.

Walking to Sochio City from their beginner area surprisingly didn't take a lot of time. Like Yuuri had claimed, it was the closest city to their beginner's area and thus, after just approximately twenty minutes of mundane chatter, they reached the docks. Sochio City was now visible to their eyes, though they were still separated by a good deal of water. But it was nothing a boat couldn't fix!

Phichit didn't seem that convinced, though.

"Yuuuuuri," The other boy whined, even as his eyes remained stuck to the little boat that they would have to use to get across. He looked more than a bit apprehensive. "Why can't we just wait for the ship and pay a bit more? There's monsters in the sea, you know! They'll completely destroy our boat!"

Yuuri rolled his eyes. Trust his friend to act so dramatically. "The monsters in these waters don't bother any players under level fifty. And even if our boat gets destroyed, we can just swim across. The City isn't that far away. We can literally see it, Phichit."

"Swim?" The other boy immediately recoiled. "I like the pool as much as the next guy, but water reduces my Agility by 50%! My poor best stat! And Yuuri, nobody has your insane stamina, you know!"

Yuuri blinked before resisting the urge to smile teasingly. He somewhat succeeded.

"It's okay. I'm sure a nice, octopus monster swimming behind you will up your motivation to swim."

However, he couldn't resist a quip at his friend. Because it was finally time for some much overdue payback! Phichit used to relentlessly tease him, after all.

"What? Yuuri! You said the monsters wouldn't bother us! Yuuri, no, come back! Don't go and buy the boat right now―"

* * *

Yuuri had never been to the real City of Sochi when it was still there, but he had seen pictures of it and wow. Sochio City really lived up to its namesake. European style buildings towered over them as their feet clacked out a rhythm onto the cobblestone streets. The sky was a beautiful bright blue, and the fresh smell of sea salt filled the air. The atmosphere thrummed with the energy of the high-class.

The most surprising thing, however, was that the City was full with _people_ , and as far as Yuuri could tell, not all of them were NPCs. And yes, this was really surprising, to Yuuri at least. Other than Phichit, this was the first time Yuuri ever saw other players! Truth to be told, Yuuri almost forgot that this was a game with loads of gamers.

"So," Phichit started cheerfully, even though he had been sulking and screaming on their whole ride there. The other boy was really so childish. "Could we go to one of their fancy restaurants? I'm so tired of eating snacks and I really want to try the food here . . ."

Yuuri blinked before agreeing easily. They did have a good amount of money saved up after their countless mob raids, even with him buying Mana potions so often. Getting a taste of the local flavors wasn't so bad, especially since the beginner areas only sold small snacks.

Plus, how could Yuuri say no to both of their poor, growling stomachs? Yuuri didn't want to snack on jelly snacks either!

"Sure!"

This time, since Yuuri had been the one to choose their mode of transportation (to Phichit's dismay), Phichit was the one who chose the restaurant. Well, 'chose' was perhaps too strong of a word as Phichit had taken one of the free, complimentary maps of the city, and randomly pointed his finger to one of the food icons. And thus, they made their way to a lovely purple building that looked like a flower. Yuuri gaped in surprise as he stared at the building. Even the interior seemed to be purple-themed!

"Hello! Welcome . . . Welcome to Purple Magnolia! Table for two?"

The waitress that greeted them, to Yuuri's surprise, was actually not a NPC. After all, she had immediately turned pink as her eyes darted across both Yuuri's and Phichit's faces. But despite looking like she was about to faint, the waitress had valiantly remained professional. It really upped Yuuri's respect of her.

Anyway, apparently players could also get jobs (99% level of reality indeed!) in the bigger cities in order to get money. They could also enhance non-offensive skills during their jobs. After all, not every player bought the game in order to become a fighter. There were Blacksmith and Chef classes too, to name a few. There were also jobs that ranged from maids to dancers! That was one of the main reasons why ICE! Online was popular with people of all ages.

"Oh my gosh," Phichit started when he flipped open the menu. Immediately, his dark eyes widened with joy. "I want to eat this, Yuuri! It looks so delicious!"

Leaning over to see the menu, Yuuri felt his mouth water. Although the whole menu seemed to be in another language, everything looked so _good_! And they were also quite cheap as well! Lucky!

"I want to eat that too . . ."

"And these! Ahh, I'm drooling . . ."

"Look at those desserts! They're so pretty!"

By the time they had finally finished ordering, the shy waitress who had been waiting seemed to be holding back chuckles. Giving her a sheepish smile, Yuuri let the woman collect the menus before sitting back with a satisfied sigh.

Since he was in a game, he could eat whatever he wanted and it wouldn't affect his real body! It was legit a dream come true for slow metabolism Yuuri. On that thought though, maybe he should go and look for a restaurant that sold katsudon so he wouldn't eat it as much in real life. Though then again, even game-katsudon probably wouldn't compare with his mother's . . .

"Well, I guess we'll be staying here for a while," Phichit remarked casually, breaking Yuuri out of his katsudon dreams. Blinking in surprise, Yuuri turned to look at him questioningly. Even if they had ordered quite a lot of food, it wouldn't take them as long as Phichit seemed to be implying to finish it.

"What?"

"Look outside, Yuuri," Phichit chuckled. "I hate water, remember? So I'm definitely not going outside into _that_."

Turning to the window, Yuuri felt his eyes widen as he realized that the picturesque sunny day from before was suddenly no more. The wind looked like it was howling outside, and the black skies were totally emptying buckets of water onto the ground. Whoa, was this the infamous weather changes the manual had touched upon?

"Good thing we're in here," Yuuri sighed in relief. "I hate storms like these."

"Same!" Phichit sighed. "You can't get sick yet in-game, but I really hate being cold and wet. It was only because I love you so, Yuuri, that I let you manhandle me onto a _boat_."

Yuuri laughed, feeling warm as Phichit gave him a pout. Suddenly, however, the doors to Purple Magnolia abruptly opened as a small and lithe figure staggered in. Immediately, a waiter rushed over to cover the poor guy with fluffy blankets as the drenched player was led to a table. Yuuri caught a glimpse of gold from the newcomer before their food arrived and he was effectively distracted.

"Wow!" Yuuri started in surprise. "This tastes so good!"

"I agree," Phichit moaned happily in bliss as he stuffed a spoonful of soup #32 into his mouth. "I'm never eating normal snacks in this game ever again."

To the surprise of probably everyone in the store, both of them amazingly finished all the dishes they ordered, plus a few seconds. Yuuri was just infinitely glad that his slow metabolism didn't transfer over to his game-him. As they slowed down and started on their last dessert (the rain seemed to be letting up as well), Yuuri opened up his Stats with a hum.

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 36 | Race: ANGEL | Class: CLERIC| Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 400 | Mana: 820]**

 **[Strength: 16 | Agility: 15 | Intelligence: 47 | Wisdom: 47 | Charisma: 15 | Luck: 15]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 21/Attack Power +43%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 15/can attack continuously up to seven times,** **Heal** **―** **Ability Level 31, Light Shield** **―** **Ability Level 17/DEF +35%, Star Shower; Ability Level 1, Scythe Swipe** **― Ability Level 24/Attack Power +52%** **]**

Though he had originally wanted to stay well-rounded, Yuuri had opted to build up his Intelligence and Wisdom in the end. Mostly because, one, he had to be a good healer since he had a party now. And two, adding Skill Points into those categories increased Mana, which was good since he really hadn't wanted to keep relying on Mana potions. Anyway, his ever-evolving Eros' Gift thankfully made up for his lack of Attack prowess. Plus, the boost of his weapon made his already good Cleric abilities even more amazing.

"Ah, the rain let up," Phichit started as he gulped down the rest of his sundae. "What do you want to do now, Yuuri?"

Closing his stats, Yuuri finished up his chocolate cake and eyed the clearing skies. There was already sunlight peaking through the rapidly lightening clouds and thus it probably was safe to go outside again. With that in mind, Yuuri took out the other complimentary tour guide book they were given at the front gates with a dramatic flourish. "It says here that after a storm, the monsters from the water will be washed ashore onto the beach. Maybe we can go and grind some?"

"Huh?" Phichit blinked. "But I thought you said that those monsters don't deal with anyone under level fifty. Wouldn't they be too strong for us?"

Yuuri bit his lip as he thought it over. On one hand, between Phichit and Yuuri, their combined levels added up to over sixty. Technically, they would be able to take on level fifty monsters, and the rewards they would get in return would be amazing. The amount of experience players got depended on their level and the monster's level, after all. They got more EXP if their level was lower than the monster's.

But on the other hand, one of them was a level thirty plus Cleric, not a level thirty plus fighter . . .

"Well," Yuuri began slowly as he pointed his finger to a line in the guide book. "It says here that only the small fry end up on the beaches, so I guess we could take them?"

Phichit blinked at the page before agreeing cheerfully. "Okay Yuuri! I know you won't let me die anyway."

". . . Of course," Yuuri promised softly as he dug out his coins. They paid for their enormous meal before making their way outside. Already, the sun was shining brightly, and other than the wet sheen on the ground no one could tell how terribly it had stormed just an hour prior.

"I wonder what kind of monsters washed ashore," Phichit swung his arms in excitement. "Octopuses? Sharks? Pretty mermaids?"

"I don't think there would be mermaids," Yuuri giggled under his breath as he watched his exuberant friend. "After all, that's a race players can pick, right? Though I don't get how those people manage on land . . ."

Phichit pouted before smiling. "Well, I heard that the players of the mermaid race float in a bubble of water in the air. They apparently have complete control over water. And I guess you're right. I don't think I want to kill humanoid things just yet as well, so its a win-win situation."

The two of them continued to chat amiably as they moved toward the beach side of the city. Enthused with Phichit's excitement, Yuuri also giddily wondered what kinds of monsters they would have to face. If anything, they were probably more exciting than the Flying Slimes and the Wolves . . .

"Anddd, we're here―"

"Ploop. Ploop."

". . ."

". . ."

When they finally reached the top of the cliff that overlooked the beach, Phichit looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Yuuri suspected that his expression wasn't doing any better either.

Because . . .

"Ploop. Ploop."

"Are those . . ." Phichit started, looking visibly strained as his smile twitched. " _Swimming_ Slimes?"

Yuuri eyed the tiny mermaid tails (tiny mermaid tails!) that were attached to the globs of slime. Really, who the heck was in charge of designing these things again? Yuuri resisted the urge to sigh and instead responded in a deadpan. "I believe so."

With the both of them still feeling incredulous, they carefully climbed down the cliff and made their way to the Swimming Slimes stranded on the beach shore. Well, on the bright side, according to the windows that floated beside the Swimming Slimes' heads they were all around level twenty to level twenty five. Which was a big level up compared to the Flying Slimes and Wolves, so the EXP gain would be pretty good . . .

"Ready?" Phichit asked, pouting a bit and still looking a bit depressed that the monsters didn't look all too impressive.

"Yes," Yuuri said as he took out Eros' Gift. The jewel on the staff glowed and out popped . . . his darling Vicchan! Surprise! When they had figured out the fact that Vicchan could travel in his weapon, Yuuri had been overjoyed. Well, really worried when his puppy suddenly disappeared for no reason, but overjoyed when he realized what he could do. Yuuri loved his weapon; it was just too convenient! After all, bringing a pet with him wherever he went meant others could try stealing him, or he might get tired or hurt! With Eros' Gift, however, Yuuri didn't have to worry about any of that.

"Vicchan, use **Growl**!"

 **(** ** _Ding_! System Notice ― Swimming Slimes' Attack Power ****will be reduced by 20%)**

His darling level twenty-five Vicchan bared his teeth at the Slimes and _growled_. The slimes in their vicinity seemed to shudder before Phichit immediately darted in to begin his attack.

While Yuuri had upped his Mana and magical abilities, Phichit poured every drop of his Skill Points into his Attack and Agility. Thus, he was literally a blur to Yuuri's eyes as his glinting sword flashed through the air. Yuuri could barely catch glimpses of his friend as Phichit danced between the mob of Slimes with complete ease.

Yuuri stared a bit in awe. Phichit made attacking look almost like he was dancing.

 **(PHICHIT ― Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -290)**

 **(PHICHIT ― Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -300)**

 **(PHICHIT ― Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -321)**

 **(PHICHIT ― Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -299)**

 **(PHICHIT ― Critical Hit! Swimming Slime HP -1000)**

 **(PHICHIT has killed Swimming Slime, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX, YUURI's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX)**

Wow. If anything, the Swimming Slimes had a lot of HP compared to the Flying Slimes. Yuuri wasn't too sure about the Slime's attack prowess though, since Phichit was literally so fast none of the Slimes could get a single hit in.

. . .

Hmm, well, there was only one way to find out.

Hefting up Eros' Gift, Yuuri rushed in to swipe at the nearest Swimming Slime.

 **(Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -200)**

 **(Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -180)**

 **(Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -200)**

 **(Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -198)**

 **(Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -211)**

"AH!"

Suddenly, a burst of pure pain exploded across Yuuri's back. Yuuri almost bit through his lower lip as his knees threatened to buckle.

 **(Swimming Slime ― Attack Successful, YUURI HP -150)**

Immediately, Yuuri swung his scythe desperately through his pain and skewered the Slime that had attacked him. Well, at least he now knew about the power of the Swimming Slime's attacks. Staggering out of the range of the monsters, Yuuri plopped heavily to the ground as he wheezed through the burning on his back.

His wings . . . were they okay?

 **(YUURI has killed Swimming Slime, YUURI's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX)**

"Yuuri!" Phichit yelled as he wove through two Slimes that were attacking him. "Are you okay?!"

The other boy's voice sounded frantic, and with good reason. At their beginner's area, the highest damage a monster could deal was maybe -100 HP, and that was for a critical hit. If it was normal hits, the damage was usually around -5 to -30 HP.

Now, these Slimes . . . one hit almost took out half of Yuuri's HP bar. He had lower HP compared to warriors like Phichit, so it was normal, but if he got hit by a Critical Hit, he was doomed.

And if he died, Phichit was doomed himself.

Vicchan retreated as well until he was beside Yuuri, snarling at the Slimes the whole way. When the puppy finally got to his owner's side, he nosed Yuuri's leg insistently in worry. Giving his pet two pats, Yuuri took a deep breath in an attempt to ease the jarring wound on his back.

"I'm fine!" Yuuri shouted back, though his voice was still tinged with pain. It was at these times did he curse the 99% level of reality. Quickly giving in, he cast a **Heal** spell on himself as he grit his teeth.

 **(Heal Successful, YUURI HP +500)**

Yuuri felt his body warming with his healing, light angel touches on his back. He grimaced at the experience. Not that it felt uncomfortable, far from it actually, but. It was such a waste to heal himself when he only had 400 health points in total and each of his heals recovered at least 500 health points. On the other hand, he didn't really have a choice here. It was either continuous healing or completely sitting out of the battle.

And the other choice was a big no-no because Yuuri really, really hated to lose.

 **(PHICHIT** **―** **Attack Successful . . . Attack Successful . . . Attack Successful . . .)**

 **(PHICHIT has killed Swimming Slime, PHICHIT's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX, YUURI's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX)**

 **(PHICHIT** **―** **Attack Successful . . . Attack Successful . . . Attack Successful . . .)**

Not to Swimming Slimes, or even to his genius fencer and Warrior friend. Who was totally going to end up with more kills than Yuuri because he had been dawdling. Getting up unsteadily and rushing into the battle again, Yuuri took a deep breath and swung Eros' Gift viciously.

He was _not_ going to lose.

 **(Attack Successful, Swimming Slime HP -220)**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

"Argh," Phichit moaned on the ground, somewhere in the vicinity to Yuuri's right. He was panting desperately, as if he couldn't get enough air into his shaking body. "I'm done, I'm dead, never again."

Yuuri, on the other hand, didn't even work up a sweat (praise his stamina!). After countless Mana potions and even more countless swings of his weapon, the both of them had finally finished up the battle. Which was why both of them were chilling beside the cool water. It would be a while before the Swimming Slimes respawned.

That meant that there was now time for Yuuri to look at the messages that had popped up during their fight. Thus, he opened his Stats . . . and stared at them with starry eyes. Somehow, clearing out the one mob of Swimming Slimes had raised his level to level forty!

Four levels in one go! That was really, really impressive!

 **[Name: YUURI KATSUKI | Gender: MALE]**

 **[Level: 40 | Race: ANGEL | Class: CLERIC| Reputation: 0** **| Unspent Skill Points: 0** **]**

 **[Health: 450 | Mana: 960]**

 **[Strength: 19 | Agility: 16 | Intelligence: 50 | Wisdom: 50 | Charisma: 16 | Luck: 16]**

 **[Abilities: Slice** **― Ability Level 22/Attack Power +45%, Continuous Strike** **―** **Ability Level 17/can attack continuously up to seven times,** **Heal** **―** **Ability Level 34, Light Shield** **―** **Ability Level 18/DEF +38%, Star Shower; Ability Level 1, Scythe Swipe** **― Ability Level 26/Attack Power +57%** **]**

"Phichit," Yuuri began happily as he finished assigning his twelve skill points. Turning around, he beamed brightly at his friend. "I'm level forty now!"

"What? Actually?!" It was now Phichit's turn to stare at his Stats after he had quickly opened them. "Wow! I'm level thirty-eight myself! _Wow_!"

"Congratulations!" Yuuri beamed as he plopped down to sit beside his friend. Level thirty-eight already . . . ! On one hand, Yuuri felt so proud of his strong friend. On the other . . . he mentally pouted. Phichit was catching up to him. Yuuri should make sure that he got to kill more monsters in their next fight. Even though Yuuri gained more EXP than Phichit since he was both fighting and healing, Phichit took out way more monsters this time.

"You too, Yuuri! Congrats!" Phichit returned Yuuri's previous smile before sighing dramatically. "I guess I'll have to take my previous statement back, then. We totally have to do that again!"

"Yeah!" Yuuri agreed enthusiastically before pausing with a frown. "Just, not right now. I need to restock on Mana potions again . . ."

"Oh, of course," Phichit nodded immediately, knowing just how much of the drink his friend needed to consume in one fight. "It'll be bad if your Mana runs out in the middle of a battle. For both me and you. We can head over to the Marketplace right now so you can stock up again and come back later once the Flying Slimes respawned **―** "

 _"GRAHHHHHH!"_

BANG!

Phichit screamed as the water beside them exploded and something dark slammed into him. Startled, Yuuri immediately cast a Heal spell onto his friend, only . . .

 **(** ** _Ding_! System Notice ― Heal Unsuccessful; Player PHICHIT has died.** **)**

Yuuri felt his face drain of all colour.

The dust in the air that had been surrounding the mystery blur and his fallen friend cleared away, and Yuuri couldn't _breathe_ as his eyes landed on what seemed to be a gigantic, mutated fish. Who was on Phichit. Not-moving Phichit.

 _Dead_ Phichit.

A sob built up in Yuuri's throat. After a player died, they could choose to respawn at the nearest Birth Center or they could choose to remain as a ghost, watching only as a spectator. It was a function added into the recent games because of the many player complaints of how they were missing the cool fights of their party after they died. Yuuri couldn't see him, but Phichit was staying there, in pain, because he was worried about Yuuri.

Yuuri, who wasn't good enough and let his friend _die_ under his watch. Yuuri, who was Phichit's Cleric and who _couldn't even save him_.

. . .

It was like all of Yuuri's nightmares had suddenly became reality.

"Grahhh . . ." The monster growled lowly as it stepped forward and off of Phichit's still body. For it to take out Phichit in one move, Yuuri knew he had no chance of defeating it. Phichit had an insane amount of HP, with how much Skill Points he had invested into Attack and Agility. Even if the monster had dealt Phichit a critical blow, it still wouldn't be possible for Yuuri to take it on by himself.

So yes, Yuuri knew he technically had to get away. Escape. As a Cleric, Yuuri's first job was to stay _alive_. He couldn't heal his party if he was dead. But, what could Yuuri do if _his party_ was dead . . . ? A Cleric without a party . . . who could they heal?

If Yuuri was a good Cleric, he would be making his escape right now. But . . .

Phichit was dead, so obviously Yuuri wasn't a good Cleric . . . Trembling, he looked up and locked eyes with the mutant fish. And then he _glared_.

Eros' Gift appeared in his hands in a flash as he settled into an offensive stance Phichit had taught him. Vicchan yipped worriedly beside him, but Yuuri wasn't going to run away, and he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Almost like it had sensed this, the monster tensed as if readying to jump. Yuuri took a deep breath to brace himself for the potential pain, before **―**

"GRAHHHHHH!" The _monster_ screamed in pain and Yuuri's eyes snapped open in complete surprise.

 **(YURIO ― Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -600)**

A lithe figure jumped back from where he had plunged a set of knives deep into the face of the monster **―** Sharp Teeth? **―** with a scowl. Yuuri felt his eyes widen even more when he suddenly recognized the boy in front of him.

Shimmery gold hair, bright green eyes . . . It was The Fairy!

Wait . . . Yuuri gaped in complete surprise. What was the famous Fairy doing here?

Yuri Plisetsky was only fifteen years old, but he was already a internationally known gamer. Although he didn't come close to Viktor's popularity, it was widely rumored that Viktor had personally taken the younger boy under his wing when the younger had started off gaming four years ago. Though . . . the Living Legend definitely didn't part his media-hiding knowledge to his protégé, because Yuri was apparently bothered by his crazed fans almost every day in real life.

Yuri Plisetsky was called The Fairy by the media because of his delicate figure . . . and the fact that he always picked the fairy race in every game he played. That was the main reason why Yuuri didn't recognize him immediately; this Yuri . . . this Yuri was a kemonomimi!

And he was a very cute leopard kemonomimi. Yuri had cute, twitching leopard-spotted cat ears and a long tail. His outfit consisted of leopard-spotted clothing, but somehow, instead of looking tacky it looked extremely fashionable. Paired with short, puffy pants and his pair of deadly, gleaming, curved knives, Yuri was the pure image of the words 'cute but deadly'.

"You IDIOT!" Kemonomimi-Yuri (Yuuri still couldn't get over that) screamed as he jumped back and grabbed onto Yuuri's sleeve, pulling the taller back as well. "You're a Cleric, aren't you? Your partner is already dead, if you're blind and couldn't tell! Why the hell aren't you running away?!"

"I . . . I . . ." Yuuri stuttered as he stared at the boy. Again, why was The Fairy . . . er, The Neko . . . doing here? Being beside Yuuri and yelling at him, of all places? Plus saving him, to boot? "I couldn't save him . . ."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to die as well!" Yuri snapped back as his green eyes tracked the howling sea monster warily. It was a bit too late for them to run now, especially since Yuri had struck the monster. "Can you cast any buffers?"

Again, Yuuri felt useless as he shook his head in a daze. With a flick of his wrist, however, he cast his **Light Shield** onto the younger boy.

"Light Shield, huh?" Yuri smirked. "That's fine. My Attack Stat is good enough, anyway."

And without further ado, Yuri rushed forward to strike Sharp Teeth.

Yuuri watched in silent amazement. If he had once thought that Phichit's speed was quick, then Yuri's was downright godly. Yuuri couldn't even see him, at all. He was just one big golden blur.

 **(YURIO ― Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -610)**

 **(YURIO ― Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -596)**

 **(YURIO ― Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -600)**

 **(YURIO ― Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -589)**

 **(YURIO ― Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -600)**

Yuuri snapped out of his daze when he realized that he was letting the younger boy do all the work. Tightening his hands on Eros' Gift, Yuuri took a deep breath to ready himself and **―**

"Don't you dare come here, you idiot!" The gold blur snarled as he darted around the screeching sea monster. "One hit and you'll be toast, and then I would have wasted my fucking time trying to keep you alive!"

"I want to help!" Yuuri retorted angrily, because despite Yuri all but clobbering the sea monster it _still_ wasn't dying. "I can fight too!"

"No means no!"

This time, Yuuri didn't even bother responding as he rushed in himself. Expertly swinging around his scythe, he slashed the back of the monster with a vicious strike.

 **(Attack Successful, Sharp Teeth HP -210)**

"UGH! Why are you Clerics always so _stubborn,_ " Yuri cursed loudly as the sea monster turned to growl at Yuuri. With a snarl, the younger boy waved one of his knives in a distinct pattern before jabbing the monster hard, and then.

And then Sharp Teeth _exploded._

 _". . ."_

Which. _What_.

 **(YURIO** **―** **Critical Attack! Sharp Teeth HP -1500)**

 **(YURIO has killed Sharp Teeth, YURIO's experience has increased to XXXXX/XXXXXX, YUURI's experience has increased to XXXX/XXXXX)**

Yuuri stared, flabbergasted as Yuri easily took down the monster. The other boy turned around with a grimace, even as he eyed Phichit's fading body.

. . .

Wait, Phichit!

"Come on," Yuri started angrily as he stalked off. "I'll take you to the nearest Birth Center."

* * *

"YUUUURI!"

Yuuri was immediately bowled over by Phichit as he and Yuri stepped into the Birth Center. With a wet chuckle, he buried his face into Phichit's silky, black hair and took a deep breath.

"I was so worried!" Phichit continued to cry as he cuddled his shaken friend. "What were you doing, just standing there with your weapon like that? Yuuri! My silly son! You should have just ran away! Do you have any common sense!?"

"I'm older than you―" Yuuri begun exasperatedly, but he was immediately cut off but the last person in their group.

"I don't think he does," Yuri, kemonomimi-Yuri butted in dryly as he watched their reunion. "Why did you want to fight anyway? You're a _Cleric_."

"Just because Yuuri's a Cleric doesn't mean he can't fight! Yuuri's a badass Cleric, okay?" Phichit retorted, eyes narrowing into a glare. Yuri immediately huffed.

"I didn't say he couldn't fight. For a Cleric, his attack power is uncommonly high. But because he's a Cleric, his HP is way too low to duke it out with the monsters. If he wants to fight, he should have upped his Agility, so he could actually dodge any attacks. If I hadn't stepped in at that point, I don't think he would have been able to escape even if he had wanted to."

Sniffling a bit in embarrassment, Yuuri pulled back from his hug with Phichit to stare at the youngest of their group. For some reason, instead of ridiculing him like all the other high-level players once did, Yuri sounded almost . . . approving? At his wishes of fighting even though he was a Cleric? After all, Yuri was giving him _advice_ so he could continue to fight despite his class!

Hmm. Yuuri smiled. The youngest boy really wasn't that bad. "Um, thank you for saving me . . ."

". . . Yeah," Phichit agreed slowly when he saw his friend's smile. Previous grudge seemingly gone, he beamed a bright smile at Yuri even as he pressed onto his stomach . . . where his death wound had been. "I was so relieved when I saw you rush over! That monster hits really hard."

 _That monster hits really hard_. Yuuri immediately felt his shoulders slump down at those words. Right, how could he have forgotten? They were at a Birth Center, for crying out loud. Phichit had _died_ because of him. "Phichit, I'm so sorry . . ."

"Huh?" The other boy blinked in confusion before he suddenly tensed up. Shaking his head, Phichit all but rushed over to give Yuuri another crushing hug. "Oh! No, no, no! Me dying wasn't your fault at all, Yuuri! Both of us didn't see that monster coming."

"Yeah, but I was the one who convinced you to go grinding in the first place . . ." Yuuri swallowed his sob, his failure weighing on him like the teardrops on his eyelashes. "And then I couldn't even heal you and you had to die . . ."

"It wasn't your fault!" Phichit resolutely said again as he pulled back to stare at his friend. "And even if my level went down by one, grinding there had still been worth it! I'm still level thirty-seven now!"

Yuuri closed his eyes. He really, really didn't deserve a friend like Phichit. Yuuri was also holding Phichit back; if it had been a better Cleric, they could have kept Phichit alive even if the Sharp Teeth had came in a mob! Phichit should go and find a better Cleric, one that could actually do his job right . . .

"Ugh," Yuri's voice broke through Yuuri's depressing thoughts. "Why do you look so gloomy as hell? If you couldn't heal him this time before he died, just go and learn a resurrection spell so next time you can heal him _even_ if he died."

". . ." Yuuri blinked, speechless. But . . .

To be able to revive his fallen comrades . . . the Cleric felt his resolve harden. He wanted to be able to do that.

"A resurrection spell?" Phichit asked, eyes wide with shock. "Isn't that the reward of that extremely hard-to-complete Cleric-based quest? But I thought it had been just a rumor?"

"It's real," Yuri revealed grudgingly, before he looked away. "I . . . I can help you with it. I've completed the quest with someone else before."

Yuuri felt his eyes widen. Someone already knew a resurrection spell? So early in the game? Then again, it was The Fairy's acquaintance, so that wasn't too surprising.

"About that," Phichit started slowly as he gave Yuri a considering look. "Not that I'm ungrateful, far from it actually, but why did you help Yuuri in the first place?"

Which. Point. Yuuri's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered the questions he had during their fight against Sharp Teeth. Why had Yuri been there at the sea side in the first place? Why would Yuri, the nicknamed Ice Fairy who cared for nobody, go and waste his time to save _him_?

The kemonomimi flushed unhappily as he crossed his arms. He pointedly looked away from both Yuuri's and Phichit's bewildered stares. "He looked too pathetic. And . . ."

And? Yuuri shared a confused look with Phichit. The insult, on the other hand, went through one ear and out another. Well, Yuuri couldn't take offence to it since he had probably looked really pathetic.

"And," Yuri gritted out, visibly turning redder and angrier by the second. "My name is Yuri Plisetsky, but call me . . . Yurio. I am a level fifty Thief, humanoid leopard race. And I want to join your party."

 _I want to join your party._

Yuuri gaped. Wait, wait, _wait._ Did Yuri just say that? Yuri, the famous Fairy? Did Yuuri really just hear what he thought he had just heard?

Phichit looked just as gobsmacked as Yuuri felt. The other Yuri also looked as red as a ripe tomato, so that moment probably really happened. But still.

"What?!" Phichit screeched. Yuuri had the same sentiments.

Just what the heck was happening?!

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 **AN:** I'm back! :) Sorry for the lateness, I've been pretty busy these days. It's exam crunch time (my Math exam is this Friday aha) and I've been dying over my university applications. Add into my violin recital and my sudden illness and I've been quite dead lately.

But thank you for all the reviews, favourites, and follows! You guys are too awesome, I don't know what I would do without you! This chapter is dedicated to dear **gatsuu/ollizers** on tumblr! They gifted me a fanart of this fic, which, wow! Please go check it out! It was what inspired me to finish this chapter this weekend.

Like always, please leave any thoughts! I love reading your comments.

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 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Kazuha:** Of course! Thank you so much for your kind words! ;w;

 **Wanderer13:** Aha, I guess I did lay it on a bit thick, right? I'm glad you liked it, nonetheless!


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